Skip to content

Semi-pro football club 'in shock' after shirt worn by Reading Festival headliners

Danielle HerbertBBC Wales
News imagePatrick Gunning Grian Chatten performing at Reading Festival wearing a Cwmbran Celtic FC away shirt. The football shirt is green and white.Patrick Gunning
Cwmbran Celtic FC say they were "as surprised as anyone" when they saw Fontaines D.C.'s Grian Chatten wearing the club's colours

A semi-professional Welsh football club say they were "in shock" after their shirt was worn during a Reading Festival headline set.

Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten was seen sporting a green and white-striped Cwmbran away shirt during the performance on Friday, leading to pre-sales of the shirt to "almost double".

In a post shared on social media, the club said "we're still in shock and can't thank Grian enough for the support".

Sales of the shirt go both towards supporting the club as well as to grassroots music venues, with the club having partnered with four famous bands for their 2026/27 season team kits.

They include Welsh groups Super Furry Animals and Panic Shack, as well as Loose Articles and Mogwai, with the latter appearing as a sponsor on the shirt worn by Chatten at Reading.

Chatten said in a statement to BBC Wales: "I love Cwmbran and I love initiatives that support independent venues.

"Cwmbran Celtic is a club run by volunteers who have a sense of solidarity with the plight independent music venues are facing. I think that's class. Also I love Mogwai."

Matt Jarrett, joint commercial manager for the club, said they "never expected a totally different band, who weren't on the shirt to end up wearing it on stage".

He said friend of the club worked as the monitor engineer for Fontaines D.C., and helped get a size 3XL to Chatten.

News imagePatrick Gunning A landscape shot of Fontaines D.C. performing at Reading Festival. Grian Chatten is centre stage and seen on two large screens to each side of the stage, performing whilst wearing a Cwmbran Celtic FC away shirt.Patrick Gunning
Jarrett says pre-sale orders for the shirt "have almost doubled" since the festival performance

"In all honesty, we thought we'll give it to him. It'll be nice for him to have it. Maybe he will wear it backstage or something", said Jarrett.

But to the club and its supporters' surprise, Chatten not only wore the shirt but performed the bands headline set in it in front of tens of thousands at the festival and many more online and on television.

"We were as surprised as anyone when we saw him walking out on stage with the shirt on," Jarrett said.

Jarrett said it had been "crazy" ever since, after festival-goers and viewers shared photos and videos of the band's performance.

"Our pre sale orders have almost doubled from last Friday," he said.

"The Fontaines fans have gone crazy over it."

Jarrett, who also owns a record store in Newport, said 10% of shirt sale profits would go to the Music Venues Trust.